Taming the Beast
by SilverWolf7
Summary: When Hermione's life takes a major turn for the worst, at the least convenient time, she finds her world turned upside down.   With the help of Remus during the break before her sixth year starts and Severus' during terms, she will find herself trying to
1. Bitten

Taming the Beast  
  
Prologue  
  
Hermione saw it before she realised what it was and froze. As soon as it turned its head in her direction, scenting the air for her scent, she realised that then would be a good time to start running.  
  
She turned around and ran, hoping she could reach home before the monster chasing her could catch up to her. She started to panic, however, when a cramp shot through her side, slowing her down. Still, when she turned onto another street and saw her house not very far away, her parents' car out front, she felt hope well up inside of her.  
  
Running as fast as she possibly could, she made it to the front door before the creature had caught up to her. When she wrenched open the door though, the creature flew at her and bit her arm, before she could get it inside with the rest of her.  
  
Wrestling her arm from the creature's mouth, she got inside and slammed the door, the thud of the big body hitting the door vibrating through the wood door she was now leaning on. She gasped, thinking it was trying to break in, but after a few minutes, she heard it shuffle off.  
  
Slowly she slid down to the floor, a sense of security and safety enveloping her at the thought of getting home safe and sound. When she heard the new baby her mum had given birth to not long after summer break had started, she smiled. Yes, everything was as it was supposed to be.  
  
Hearing noises upstairs, she went into the nursery, where her mum was now feeding Tristan, her baby brother. Smiling at her mum, she entered the room and was surprised to see her mum's face go white.  
  
"Oh my! Hermione, what happened to you?!" Mrs Granger shouted, rising and putting the baby back into its crib. Running to her daughter, she inspected the wound carefully.  
  
As Hermione looked down to see what her mum was making a fuss about, the events of that night suddenly came back to her. She had just been bitten by a werewolf, meaning she was one now too.  
  
Sounding from far away, Hermione was confused to hear someone scream, loud and shrill, before the whole world went black around her.  
A/N - Ok, so I have read a couple of stories where Ginny was a werewolf and wanted to write one too, though I decided to use Hermione instead. She is the one to me that has more to lose, especially in what jobs she should be able to get. R/r please. 


	2. In the Hospital

Chapter One  
  
Hermione slowly opened her eyes and winced in pain. Her head ached, her arm felt like it had been ripped apart (which, she thought, was not so wrong an assumption) and she felt sick with dread.  
  
She remembered what had happened to her earlier that night. She knew that her life as she had known it so far was drastically going to change. She was a monster now. She moaned and turned over, feeling the bandage wrapped around her arm scratch against stitches. Sudden hope flared inside her. Her Mum and Dad must have called a Doctor. Maybe if the Doctor sterilised the wound fast enough, the curse of being a werewolf wouldn't fall upon her.  
  
Feeling a little better, she sat up and looked around herself. She was quite surprised to realise that she was in a bed, but it wasn't hers. It was a hospital bed she as lying in.  
  
A sudden stirring next to her made her look towards the slight movement, only to see her father sitting next to the bed reading a book. When he looked at her, his smile was one of relief.  
  
"You're awake now, honey. What happened? The Doctor's said you were bitten by a dog." He asked his daughter.  
  
Hermione stared at him, hysterical laughter building up inside her. "A dog? You think it was a dog. The Doctor's think it was a dog. Sceptics are such annoying people. Is there anyone here who is a witch or wizard?"  
  
Hermione's father frowned. "We wouldn't know. You are the only person I know who can do magic."  
  
Hermione apologised, lay back down and began playing with the sheet that was covering her. What she needed was someone from the magical world to tell her what was going to happen.  
  
An image of Professor Lupin came into her mind but she dismissed it almost immediately. Since his quitting at the end of her third year, he had not been back t teach and Dumbledore kept on telling her, Harry and Ron that Sirius and Remus were on a mission for him.  
  
Sighing, she turned to look at her dad, before she realised that her Mum wasn't there. "Where's Mum?" she asked.  
  
With that, her father's smile came back, this time it was quite nervous. "She was so shocked by your sudden dive to the floor, she went into labour."  
  
Hermione's face lit up in a smile too. Her new baby brother or sister was being born. She hoped it was a sister. Another girl that she could play with, though born a few years too late.  
  
Closing her eyes, she knew she should go back to sleep and rest so that she could sort lout her feelings later. When she closed her eyes though, she saw the slavering monster hurtle itself at her. Opening them again, she sat up and started to rummage in the drawer next to her. She needed to write a letter to Dumbledore. It was the only thing that she could think of. Dumbledore would know what to do.  
  
Finding the paper and borrowing a pen from a passing Nurse, she quickly wrote a short letter explaining what had happened. When she had finished it, she passed it to her Dad, telling him to send it off to Hogwarts with her new owl, Nighteyes.  
  
As soon as her father left to go get the owl at home, needing a break from the sterile hospital anyway, Hermione finally let herself slip into the nightmares she knew would haunt her sleep all night. She was disappointed that, as usual, she was right.  
  
A/n - This was going to be updated on Monday, but ff.net wouldn't let me log on. Ah well, it's up now. Please read and review. Tell me what you think so far. 


	3. Remus Arrives

Chapter Two  
  
Hermione was taken home the next day, still quite sore in her arm. Her mum had a baby boy late last night. She named him Tristan. Something stirred in Hermione at that. She could have sworn she had seen her mum with the new baby before he was even born.  
  
Shaking her head and shrugging away all uneasy feelings, she lay down on her bed and began writing out her homework for the beginning of the new school year. Her father came in at around 12 to give her a sandwich.  
  
At about 1 in the afternoon, she heard a tapping sound as Nighteyes pecked her beak at the glass of her window. Jumping up, homework now lying forgotten, she tore open the window and hastily plucked her owl out of the air and ripped open the letter the owl had tied to its leg. Nighteyes wasn't too happy at that and hooted shrilly at her owner.  
  
Opening it up and reading it, she felt her excitement turn to horror.  
  
Dear Hermione Granger (the note read)  
  
I am sorry to hear about what has happened to you. I am also sad to say that I had to bring in the ministry with your new affliction. Fortunately I have been able to keep your position at Hogwarts until your graduation. It will be a trial for you though, to find a University that will take you in. For that I am truly sorry, as you would have to be one of the brightest students Hogwarts has seen since your parents went to school.  
  
You will be pleased to know that Remus Lupin will be at your house later this evening to try help you adjust. Unfortunately, he will not be there with you for your first transformation, but he will try to prepare you as best he can.  
  
If you have not done so already, I advise you to tell your parents and your friends. Try not to take anything they say to heart, unless it is good, and knowing Harry and Ron, they will not mind. Do not be surprised if your parents do not believe you.  
  
If you need someone to talk to while at school my office is always open to students in need.  
  
Albus Dumbledore.  
  
Hermione read through the note again. Her heart plummeted to the floor as she realised that she might not be able to go to a wizarding University. Well, she thought to herself, I will have to try extra hard my last two years at Hogwarts. Satisfied that she might be able to get in on excellent grades itself, she happily went back to her homework and began to go over all she had done to make sure everything was perfect.  
  
Hearing the doorbell ring at six she immediately flew downstairs, past her dad, ripped open the door and flung herself at the man standing there. Remus Lupin hugged her for a brief second before he began to lose his breath from the death grip she was giving him.  
  
"Ok, Hermione, you are happy to see me, but can you please loosen your grip so I can breathe?" Remus said, voice hoarse.  
  
"Sorry." She replied, let go and smiled up at the man who had taught her Defence Against the Dark Arts in her third year. "Are you going to teach again this year Professor?"  
  
The werewolf laughed and shook his head. "No. Please, call me Remus. It is my name, we know each other and I am not your Professor anymore."  
  
Hermione nodded and dragged the man inside. "Dad, this is Remus Lupin. Remus, this is my dad." With a smile she suddenly realised she had forgotten something. "Um, John Granger."  
  
Both men laughed at that and shook hands, said their greetings and turned to look at her. "Have you told your parents yet, Hermione?" Remus asked, his smile slipping off his face, now only showing understanding.  
  
Suddenly standing up as straight as she could, stiff with worry, she slowly shook her head no. "Not yet. I don't think it has quite sunk in yet. I wrote the note to Professor Dumbledore as soon as I could."  
  
"That is a good thing. Can I see the wound Hermione?" Remus asked.  
  
Holding out her arm, she slowly nodded and pulled up her sleeve to show the bandage that was wrapped around the stitches. "We got it stitched at a Muggle hospital. Would that do anything to it?"  
  
Shaking his head no, Remus slowly undid the bandage and stared hard at the wound, noticing it had healed more than it should have on a normal human. "Sorry Hermione, if they could possibly stop the.condition, the Muggles didn't get to it in time."  
  
Nodding slowly at that, she looked at her own arm for a while, noticing her father doing the same. "Um, I'm not exactly an expert, but isn't that healing a lot faster than it should be?" John Granger asked, turning his head towards Remus.  
  
When he saw a nod of approval, his eyes slowly made their way back to his daughter. "Honey, is there something you aren't telling us?"  
  
Shifting from one foot to the other, she slowly nodded her head, stole a glance up at her father and drew on all the courage a Gryffindor should have. "Daddy . I was bitten by a werewolf."  
A/N - So what do you think her dad will think? How will Hermione take it now she knows for sure that she is a werewolf? How much help will Remus really be? All those questions answered next chapter. R/r please! 


	4. Unexpected Problem

Chapter Three  
  
The room was in sudden silence as the words escaped her mouth. Remus smiled sadly at her, showing support when she needed it. Her father was looking wide-eyed between her face and her quickly healing arm.  
  
"Are you ok? How badly were you hurt? Will you live?" Mr Granger began to fire off a bunch of questions Hermione was too shocked to answer. She should have known there was nothing anyone could do, she had known that but being told she was a werewolf from a man who had suffered with the affliction most of his life summed it up really nicely for her.  
  
Her life as she has known it so far was over. Slowly, she walked over to the couch in the lounge room, sat down and stared blankly at the wall in front of her eyes. Hermione could hear Remus talking to her father about how her daughter would now be a werewolf and she heard her dad gasp, deny it and flee to the safety of his study.  
  
"I am so sorry Hermione. I wouldn't wish this upon anybody and for someone so smart and intelligent . if there is anything I can do to make this transition any easier tell me. It will be hard. Your body will go through a few changes."  
  
"Of course." Hermione replied absently, not really hearing a word the man had just said. Before she was aware that Remus had moved, she felt his arms wrap around her protectively and pulled her into a hug.  
  
She didn't mean to do it, but she did anyway. The hands wrapping about her tightened when she began to lash out at him. Anything to make her feel better she did, so she scratched, she bit and, when her body was almost on the verge of exhaustion, tears began to fall.  
  
All the while, Remus held her and comforted her, knowing that she should let out her frustrations and anger now. Not only that, but a part of what Hermione had always been had been stripped away from her. Remus knew that no matter how good her scores at Hogwarts were, if there wasn't a University with a Headmaster or Mistress like Dumbledore, she had no chance of ever continuing her studies.  
  
In a strange way, the girl was grieving, but for herself and what she had lost rather than the death of a loved one. It was something he hadn't been able to experience himself, too young when he had been bitten to fully understand what had happened.  
  
With her father not believing for the time being and not knowing where her mother was, he knew Hermione was going to have a rough time with her family from now on.  
  
As he felt her relax into his arms, he asked her the one question he felt needed to be answered right at the moment. "Where's your mother Hermione? She is still living here isn't she?"  
  
Slowly lifting her head and staring at Remus she slowly nodded. "She's in the hospital. She has just given birth to a baby boy. His names Tristan." Hermione smiled, proud that she had a younger sibling now, then she saw the look on Remus' face.  
  
"What is wrong with that? I'm happy for having a baby brother." She stated, anger evident in her voice.  
  
"It's not that. Your parents will have to look after the baby now. You need to be taught and usually your parents would do that, even if they are Muggles. I would have told them what to do. Unfortunately, they will be too busy."  
  
Hermione stared. "You mean that I won't be able to stay here, because of the baby?"  
  
Remus shook his head. "No. You can stay here, but I will have to as well. I will be able to teach you what you will need to learn and what will happen to your body during transformation." Slowly he shook his head and sighed. "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."  
  
With that, Hermione let her head fall back to Remus' shoulder and just held on to her only means of anything to do with werewolves like a lifeline.  
  
Apart from what Remus will tell her, there were two things left to do: Tell her mum and tell her friends. No one else will ever have to know. Ever.  
  
A/N - Ok, so this chapter isn't the best, but it is up. Yay!  
  
So what do you think? R/r and tell me. 


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